Als

What Is Als? Explaining The Disease That Afflicts Dwight Clark

... this. March 19, 2017 at 8:07 pm. | UPDATED. March 19, 2017 at 9:03 pm. Dwight Clark’s announcement Sunday night that he has been diagnosed with ALS surprised many 49 ers fans — who may be wondering what the condition entails. Related Articles. Here’s a deeper look at ALS, with background information gleaned from the ALS Association website and a Bay Area News Group feature on the disease. How ALS affects afflicted. It severely hinders motor function, making such activities as moving, eating and breathing difficult. The degenerative affliction is a progressive weakening of the muscles caused by nerve degeneration. Early symptoms include weakness in the arms or legs, slurred speech and trouble chewing and swallowing. Over time, muscles stop responding. The disease does not affect the heart, but it does attack the respiratory system. ALS patients often die of pneumonia. The disease commonly is diagnosed about two years after symptoms begin and 50 percent of patients die within three to five years of ...

Husband, Wife Take On Als Together

... ALS typically strikes men between the ages of 40 and 70, according to ALS Association data. Members of the military are twice as likely to be diagnosed with ALS than civilians, the organization said. David was in the Air Force when he was diagnosed with PMA. In 2007, he was medically retired early and worked as a civilian contractor at Offutt Air Force Base for the next three years. By then, he had lost use of his arms but could still walk. In January 2010, he had to stop working altogether. Four years later, David fell in his driveway and chipped a tooth. He knew he could no longer work. Four years later, he started using a wheelchair. Jodi moves him from his bed or chair to his wheelchair and back. “I was ready for it,” David said of starting to use the wheelchair. “You can be stubborn, or you can realize that once you do stuff like that it’s a lot easier to sit in a chair and know you are safe.”. ...

Audio Spongebob Creator And Hsu Grad Diagnosed With Als; Humboldt’s Last Week Of News

... courses. One time my biology class went into the mountains to collect stream organisms. We were collecting insects in this tiny stream and under this rock we found a three-foot lamprey eel… I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend going (to HSU).”. In the audio more quotes from the interview with Stephen are shared. The story begins at 6:51. ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a terminal illness that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. There is no cure but in some cases those that have it can live for a long time — Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with the same illness in 1963. Some may remember the viral “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge” which raised well over a hundred millions dollars for the ALS Association. “The Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while aggressively searching for new treatments and a cure,” according to their ...

Mapping Als Protein Shapes May Lead To Insight On Disease's Course

... disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis,” was published in the journal Scientific Reports. The research team at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom has been studying the impact of angiogenin mutations for some time. In an earlier study, they tracked the shapes and behavior of 11 mutated proteins in lab-grown cells. The angiogenin protein travels to the nucleus of cells to promote its normal functions. The earlier study demonstrated that some mutations prevented the factor from entering the nucleus. Other mutations prevented cells from producing stress granules — a crucial defense against damage caused by low oxygen levels. Moreover, the researchers could track how the abnormalities affected the survival of motor neurons in a way that has relevance for ALS. But understanding how ...

Hilton Als, Alice Neel, And The Faces Of New York

... me, I could say, "Oh my god, the newsstand on Sixth and Eighth Street is not there anymore." I just noticed it in a cab the other day, and I was like, "Remember when we used go and get Interview or whatever that was out that month?" I miss sharing that. SARGENT: Yeah. In that vein, one of the things that people love is your Instagram account , particularly in the ways you are picturing the city today through its people: simple portraits, often of people in motion, people not always paying attention to the camera. ALS: Oh, do they? I just put them up, and I never think that people are really responding. When people are quote-unquote "sitting" for me, I do it very quickly, before they can stop and put their face on. SARGENT: Why. ALS: I think it's about remembering, right? I don't want to forget people. I think, for sure, it's an act of remembrance on my part, that there's nothing lost and ...

A Potential Biomarker Of Als Progression

... ALS models, urine p 75 ECD climbs as the mice deteriorate, but it was unknown if that happens in ALS patients, too ( Matusica et al., 2016 ). To find out, first author Stephanie Shepheard at Flinders analyzed samples from the South Australian Motor Neuron Disease Clinic in Adelaide, and from the Kessenich Family ALS Center at the University of Miami. She used ELISA to measure p 75 in the urine of 54 ALS patients who averaged 64 years of age, as well as 45 of their healthy spouses and friends, average age 50. The researchers normalized urine p 75 ECD measurements to the levels of creatinine, a byproduct of muscle metabolism, in order to account for people’s hydration level. ALS patients had an average 5.6 ng of urinary p 75 ECD per mg creatinine, compared to 3.6 in controls (see image below). The assay yielded the same measurements for patients regardless of what time of day the samples were taken, whether the samples underwent freeze-thaw cycles, or were stored at varying temperatures. This suggests the assay is robust, wrote the authors. Of the 54 ALS patients, 31 gave up to five additional urine ...

Neurofilament Light Chain As Prognostic Biomarker In Als

... collected from 176 patients in Padua between 2010 and 2016. The group included the 94 patients diagnosed with ALS, 20 with FTD, 18 with motor neuropathies, and 44 controls. Each CSF sample was obtained between six months and two years after disease onset and stored. All were analyzed for Nf L in 2016. As expected, the ALS group had significantly higher CSF Nf L than the other motor neuropathies or the control group. The FTD patients had intermediate levels. Nf L in ALS and FTD had previously only been studied separately, Sorarù told Alzforum. The researchers further divided the ALS patients into typical ALS (58 subjects), flail arm or flail leg syndrome (11 patients), progressive muscular atrophy (PMA, 9), progressive bulbar palsy (PBP, 9), and upper motor neuron dominant ALS (UMND, 7). The highest Nf L levels occurred in patients with traditional ALS and in variants associated with upper motor neuron degeneration (progressive bulbar palsy and upper motor neuron dominant ALS). Only modest elevations accompanied the clinically milder forms (flail arm or flail leg syndrome and progressive muscular ...

Family Rallies Around Mansfield Father Fighting Als

... Just over a year later, he's out of work and his wife had to leave work to take care of him. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. As it progresses, people may lose the ability to speak, eat, move and breathe. “When they come in that room with the piece of paper basically to confirm it and basically say, ‘Go home and enjoy your family because here in America there's no cure, no treatment.’” Mike said. “So, it was tough. It was tough.”. The Romero family isn't giving up hope. “The frustration is a big part of it,” his wife Stephanie said. “I try to not get him frustrated. I want him to be happy.”. With help from a student fundraiser at Mansfield High School, where Mike’s son is a senior, Mike is well on his way to raising the $35,000 he needs to take part in a stem cell procedure in Thailand. Mike says it could save his life. “I'll do anything I can to try and stick around for my family,” Mike ...

Als Stroll, Roll 'n' Run Moves Indoors

... by ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Some of the proceeds will benefit the ALS Therapy Development Institute, a nonprofit biotech with a mission to develop treatment or therapy for those with the progressive neurodegenerative disease. The rest stays with the local ALS support group, which helps pay for medical equipment and supplies not covered by Medicaid, Medicare, military, insurance or disability payments. Hassel said the group has paid for specialized bandages and bedding, feeding tube nourishment, medicine, over-the-counter supplements and motel expenses for family members while the ALS patient is in a hospital in a different city. The fund also helps pay for specialized tools for eating and communication devices such as writing boards. "ALS is a very expensive disease to fight," Hassel said. "One's financial resources can be drained pretty quick.". Funds raised at the Stroll, Roll 'n' Run on March 25 can help. Raffle tickets are being sold for $5 or 6 for $25, and there will be a silent auction. Another change this year is that registration fees will be collected the day of the race. Every stroller, roller and runner will receive a T-shirt and ...

Spongebob' Creator Stephen Hillenburg Diagnosed With Als

... for as long as I am able. My family and I are grateful for the outpouring of love and support. We ask that our sincere request for privacy be honored during this time.”. According to the ALS Association , the disease was first discovered by French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot in 1869, though the diagnosis of famed baseball player Gehrig in 1939 brought widespread attention to the ailment. The organization describes ALS as “a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord” involving the breakdown of motor neurons, which are responsible for carrying signals from the brain to the muscles. Approximately 15 new cases are found each day, resulting in around 6,000 diagnosed in the U. S. per year. Half of those with ALS live approximately three years after their initial diagnosis, while 20 percent live five years or more; 10 percent live more than 10 years. In recent years, focus on ALS research has intensified in ...